So Close
by birdie-98
Summary: Artie in a dream sequence: his feelings about prom and that girl he's been thinking of. Songfic. Artie/Tina


A/N: Hello fellow Gleeks!! This is my first Glee fic. Just a one-shot, for now. And also a songfic. Please enjoy it! And please review, I would love to know what you guys liked, didn't like. All that jazz =D

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. A very very depressing fact indeed.

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Glee club was not enjoyable today. Sure, he had hit all of his notes perfectly. And sure, he was spot-on with the choreography. But for some reason, he just couldn't shake the conversation that he had overheard the Glee ladies whispering about earlier. With the exception of the Cheerios, the Glee ladies were all talking and giggling like little girls (yes, even the dignified Rachel Berry), about prom. _Prom._ That word echoed in his mind throughout the entirety of the practice. And it still haunted him as he left the choir room…

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"Have you bought your dress yet?" whispered a shiny-eyed Rachel to Mercedes. She had just told the group that Kurt had asked her to prom. Yes, she was very aware of his preferences, but that didn't matter. They were great friends and they would have a great time.

"Oh you know it, girl. But there better not be anybody else with the same one. I'll have to bust some heads…" Mercedes answered, flicking some bangs out of her face.

Tina and Rachel giggled and Mercedes joined in too. "But what about you two? How about your football boy toy, Miss Thang?" she directed towards Rachel.

Rachel sputtered for a second before regaining her composure, "I-I'm certain I don't know what you mean. No one has asked me to accompany them to the prom, including anyone from the football team." She disguised her disappointment at the realization that Finn would not be asking her, but taking Quinn instead.

"Ah, don't sweat it girl. I know someone will ask you," Mercedes flashed her a brilliant smile before turning to Tina. "And how about you?"

Tina looked down before she answered. "N-no. Not yet. I just hope s-s-someone will ask me at all," she whispered.

"I know who you're thinking of," Mercedes teased. Tina jerked her head up and shook it worriedly, pleading with her not to say anymore. Rachel caught on and decided to play along, "Oh yes, I believe I know who you're referring to. Doesn't his name begin with an… an… 'A' or something like that?" she tapped her finger to her chin in artificial thought.

Tina's hand flew to Rachel's mouth, stifling the rest of her questions, and looked around frantically. Mercedes and Rachel burst out laughing as Mr. Schuester walked in. They linked arms with a perfectly mortified Tina and went to their seats to begin practice.

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With the exception of being in a wheelchair, no one really noticed him. But he noticed everyone. Years of being a wallflower had fine tuned his perceptive abilities. And his heart leapt when he heard (yes, he was definitely eavesdropping) what Rachel had said. And he noticed that Tina avoided meeting his eyes and stood just a few inches further away from him during Glee. But once the excitement over the fact that Tina, whom he had admired and liked for quite some time now, wanted him to ask her to prom wore off, he felt his heart breaking.

He would love nothing more than to take Tina to prom. He would love to surprise her with a limo and arrive at the hotel where they held the prom in style. He'd love to take her by the hand and lead her out to the dance floor. He'd love to cradle her in his arms as they posed for pictures. He'd love to smell her ebony hair as he held her close for the last slow dance of the evening, just enjoying each other's company. Then he'd love to whisk her away to a secret park near his house that he sometimes visited. He'd love to hold her hand as they ran to the edge of the pond and look up at the stars. He'd love to lean over and brush the stray hair away from her flushed face and gaze into her eyes. He'd love to walk her to her door and steal a kiss goodnight.

Unfortunately, he wasn't able to give her any of these things. Tina would have to bend down to giggle and fumble around to pin his boutonnière. The closest thing to a limo they could ride in would be his mother's van, built for handicap purposes. Sure he could bust a move, but he couldn't take Tina's hand to lead her to the dance floor. Chances are she would push him over. At best they could only hold hands as they posed for pictures, facing towards each other awkwardly instead of her leaning into his chest. They wouldn't be able to slow dance at all, they would just sit and chat at the edge of the floor. He couldn't take her to his secret park afterwards, not when his mom was driving them. And he could only wheel Tina to her door and pray that maybe she would kiss him, though the chances would be small considering his mom would be waiting for him in the car a couple feet away.

It wasn't like they wouldn't have a good time. Artie actually thought they would have a blast if he asked her. But he also thought that she deserved so much more than what he had to offer. As Glee ended, Artie heaved a sigh and headed for the door. Tina offered quietly to walk with him, but he declined, coming up with an excuse to hang behind. She, Mercedes, and Kurt all waved goodbye to him and he wheeled down the empty hallways.

Making his way to the auditorium, Artie quickly hooked up the microphone. He realized that this was usually something that Rachel would do, coming after hours to release pent-up energy through song, but he felt like he had no other outlet.

So he began his song acapella, squeezing his eyes shut and pouring out all his frustration.

_You're in my arms_

_And all the word is calm_

_The music playing on for only two_

_So close, together_

_And when I'm with you_

_So close, to feeling alive_

Artie could hear the background music swelling and felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Tina smiling down at him. She was dressed in a midnight blue floor-length ball gown and looked absolutely stunning. He peeked at down at his knees and saw that his sweater and slacks for school had vanished and were replaced with a black tuxedo, with a tie to match Tina's dress shade. She held out her hand for him and he all too willingly took it. He stepped blithely out of his wheelchair and gave Tina a kiss on her hand. He led her to the back of the stage and continued to sing.

_A life goes by, _

_Romantic dreams must die_

_So I bid mine goodbye_

_And never knew_

_So close was waiting,_

_Waiting here with you_

_And now forever I know_

Artie spun Tina around delicately, and let her return to his arms. He stroked her cheek lightly and hey eyes fluttered in response. He couldn't help but notice how soft her skin was beneath his touch.

_All that I want is_

_To hold you_

_So close_

He wasn't just singing now, he was serenading the beautiful girl dancing with him.

_So close to reaching that famous happy end_

_Almost believing this one's not pretend_

_Now you're beside me_

_And look how far we've come_

_So far, we are_

_So close_

They spun around the stage in a waltz. He grinned down at her as he sang and she reddened slightly, grinning back sheepishly. Artie let Tina spin away from him and marveled at how her dress swished and twisted with her body. Her pinned up curls swayed in the light breeze of her movements and when she returned to him, he caught the slight scent of strawberries.

_How could I face the faceless days  
If I should lose you now?_

The music reached its pinnacle and Artie gave it everything he had. His hands moved from Tina's down to her waist as he dropped her down in a dip. They circled faster and faster and their smiles got wider and wider as the climax of the song continued.

_We're so close_

_To reaching, that famous happy ending_

_Almost believing this one's not pretend_

_Let's go on dreaming_

_Though we know we are_

_So close_

They had made their way back to the front of the stage where Artie's wheelchair sat waiting. In the small gap between lines, he leaned in closer to Tina's lips. His heart jumped when he saw that she was leaning in too. But it immediately sunk when he realized she was sitting him back down. She turned to leave. Her arm that was perched on his shoulder throughout the song trailed down his and left a tingling on Artie's fingertips as she left.

_So close_

_And still…_

Artie opened his eyes and saw that his school clothes had returned and there was no one but him in the auditorium, holding the microphone. He shook his head, took a deep breath and finished the song miserably.

_So far_

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Song: "So Close" - Jon Mclaughlin


End file.
